Here We Go…

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But He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected[and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.” Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me.  So I am well pleased with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, and with difficulties, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak [in human strength], then I am strong [truly able, truly powerful, truly drawing from God’s strength].” 1 Corinthians 12:9-10 AMPC

This past year ~2017~ quickly came to an end and with it the end of one of the most incredible grace abundant years of my life. It started with a 40-day breakfast fast where I prayed and intentionally sought the Lord for what I thought He had for me. It’s funny because it’s never what I think it will be. Within the first 30 days, He wrecked my so-called plans and has been beautifully destroying what I thought I wanted for something better {…happy tears}. He was making the dreams He placed in my heart a reality.

In the moment, I can tell you, the many tears that I cried were anything but happy. But as God pruned, scrubbed, cleaned, and restored the holes, gashes, the brokenness of my heart and began His remodeling work- there were many questions, many prayers in desperation, and moments of great weakness. But through it all- He was there and His grace in my weakness was something I’ve never experienced up to this point. He was expertly weaving together the plan He has for me. When I didn’t think my heart could take any more. When I doubted and wondered why. When He took what I wanted. And my heart asked, “What is going on? Will the pain ever ease? Will my heart ever heal? Is restoration possible? Could He really work ALL this together for my good and His glory?”

As I sit here writing, I can honestly say as a stretched but sustained daughter of the King of Kings-through great joys and heartaches as a wife. Overwhelming moments and hopeful ones as a mom. At heart-wrenching but incredibly healing times as a daughter and sister. As a friend who sometimes got it right and failed at times too. I saw Him. I felt Him. He strengthened me, even when I thought I was at my snapping point.

I now see He was preparing me, His grace was perfecting me. Making a way to help me accomplish the dreams He’s placed inside of my heart. Through this past year, His grace was unbelievably sufficient, He’s made me more confident in my life-long desire of becoming Chic- Confident and Happy in Christ. He gave me beautiful victories, incredible endings, and beautiful beginnings. He’s begun bringing beauty from ashes and redeeming what I thought was dead. He’s brought physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. He’s making me new. The good works that He’s begun in me He’s completing in His beautiful albeit sometimes incredibly painful way.

Writing, speaking, encouraging. Those are some of the dreams our sweet Jesus has grafted in my heart and I’m so thankful, excited and full of anticipation as I step foot into the opportunity to share here and watch Him bring to life what He knit in me. I’m humbled and so thrilled that the time has come and I pray that as I share with you what He’s putting on my heart that you’ll not only know how priceless you are but that every day we can beam with confidence because of who He is making us all because of what His Spirit is accomplishing by our abiding with and in Him.

I’m excited to enter 2018 as a fellow blogger here on The Priceless Journey and I can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for us.

Happy New Year!!

With love and many blessings,

Lord, I’m Yours. Holy Spirit, I can’t do this without You. This is Yours, God. Please do with it what You will through me and help me encourage myself and my fellow beauties in who we are because of You. Help us move forward to accomplish the dreams that You created us for no matter what we’ve faced, where we’ve come from or what our future holds. Thank You, Jesus, for this opportunity. Bless each reader, draw closer each heart, and help us to know You more, deeper, fuller. It’s all for You, it’s ALL about You, Jesus! In Your powerful, nothing impossible name I pray. Amen.

Hello…. with humble intentions

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Writing has always been a gift for me.  It is a place for me to organize my thoughts and, many times, my heart.  I can remember from a young age feeling powerful and pure on the inside when I could write down my thoughts and feelings in the freedom of pen and page.  There is a privacy when I write that is soothing and comforting.  A piece of paper in lines will not judge me.  A pen will not yield it’s own will to my hand, but my will to it.  When I was younger I kept a diary.  As I grew into teenage years and beyond,  it became my “journal”.  And now as an adult, I keep a prayer journal to meditate and talk with God.  I’ve also found writing helpful in relationships.  In the moment of hardship or heartache, words come in anger, maybe hurt, sometimes joy, and my brain can’t always compute the right thing at the right time….  and so I write.  I can take time to put what I need to say in the way I need to say it and pray.  I’ve written letters to friends, boyfriends, my parents at times.  I wrote when I married my husband and I wrote when I had my babies.  I also wrote when I miscarried and even wrote a poem which I hope to share with you here at some point.

Now having said that……. when I was asked to be a part of this blog and WRITE- I froze.  I’ve been frozen for weeks worrying over my ability. I’ve been paralyzed with doubt and fear over how my “writing” would be judged or critiqued.  I’ve reached out for prayer from loved ones and sisters in Christ yearning to want to do this well and with grace.  I have always dreamt of encouraging people through words (as a silent prayer) and it so it seems God has put this opportunity in front of me, just more public than what I had in mind.

As I’ve prayed and meditated on what God would have me say…. I stumbled upon an author whose words captured exactly what my heart sings! Her name was Helen Steiner Rice. She was a poet and believer.  She is quoted in saying, “Since all our gifts are God-given and they do not belong to us, they only have worth when we share them with others. God gave me this gift and I am happy to return it to others.” AMEN Helen!  I realized my only purpose here is to share my heart and my testimony with the humblest of intentions.  I am humbled to be here writing to you and praying God will make a way of connection to those who need or want to hear more of HIM.  She goes on to say, “The majority of responsive hearts who read my things pass them along to other responsive hearts, and soon the chain of love reaches around the world.” (H.S.Rice)  I hope a chain of God’s love begins, continues, and grows here. I pray God’s leading of each humble word touches and encourages someone who reads it and His will for us be glorified.  This is the only way I know to introduce myself and make it known how I came to be here.  God has lead us to this place together and I pray for His mighty power to shine through.  I am a humble servant of Jesus, with humble intentions, trying to encourage and uplift the humbles of the world.  I leave you with this poem and pray you’ll reach out and share the good and the bad of you when the Holy Spirit moves you.

The Musings of a Thankful Heart

“People everywhere in life from every walk and every station,

From every town and city and every state and nation,

Have given me so many things intangible and dear,

I couldn’t begin to count them all or even make them clear.  

I only know I owe so much to people everywhere,  And when I put

my thoughts in verse it’s just my way to share-The musings of a thankful heart, 

a heart much like your own, For nothing that I think or write is mine and mine alone….

So if you found some beauty in any word or line, It’s just your soul’s reflection 

in proximity with mine.” (Helen Steiner Rice)

 

Father God,  I pray for continued guidance and leading.  I only wish to be useful for your glory.  I pray for those walking in their own doubts, fears, or short-comings.  You know what each person’s struggles are God and you are powerful and mighty to meet each one right where they are at. You also know God each persons gifts and talents because you designed them that way. You custom-fit each of us with special skills and amazing abilities that can only be met when we surrender to you and allow you to use them. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

Giving Way to Good

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I was the weird kid who loved to organize and clean her room. I can’t recall a single time my parents ever had to tell me to clean my room. Why I didn’t procreate this is beyond me! You see this is how it went. I’d call a friend to come over and play “Hey Tina, you want to come over and help me clean my room?” Who does that? 

I remember vividly around the age of 6 my Grandma came to visit and boy did she love her hosiery! She stayed in my room and at first it was ok. Then one day I came into my room and her panty hose were strewn all over my room like it had been toilet papered! I’d had it, that’s it! I packed up her things, placed her suitcases neatly outside of my room and exclaimed to my mom that Grandma could no longer stay with me, she was too messy. 

I recall these scenarios and think…that’s not exactly normal childhood behavior and wonder why I was like that. 

I’ve come to realize that I grew up too fast.  I took hold of the belief in childhood that being joyful and silly was foolishness.  Having almost zero memories before the age of seven I asked the Holy spirit to show me who I was then. He showed me a picture of myself as a little 3-year-old dancing joyfully and twirling. As I watched that freedom displayed I saw a wall erect itself between her and my adult self. The Holy spirit spoke to me and said that wall is actually to keep that little girl out. It was representative of a lie that I was believing.

I then flashed forward to my own kids and how my body feels when they are really goofy, messy and childish. Noticing a tension rise in my body at the thought of it. Once again the Holy spirit pointed out in that setting I feel the need to be stern, cold and crack down as to shut it down. My fear was that if I allow it to continue they will become disrespectful, irresponsible and unruly adults. This grieved me. I could see the lie so clearly.

Childishness=Foolishness

I began to see that lie unravel my world. I could see how locked up my true Joy and playfulness are. As I continued to work through why I feel that way and how it started, my world became clear. Lies lost their grip and I saw my children’s joy as a gift in times of sorrow. A release in times of stress. As their response to a loving playful father who created us to feel this way. To be free.

It was that day my heavenly Father spoke to me about giving way to good. His truth would unravel the lie that silliness is foolishness. His love would free me from locking myself up in fear when things around me seem too messy or playful. God would gently teach me how I could give way to the good. Giving me the ability to see those moments through his untainted glasses. To see my children through those lenses when my flesh rises up to control.

God did not put me in a position of control, the world and sin did that. Control is not the same as responsibility. Life circumstances and hardships made me want to grab tight to what I could control because of a loss of control.

God placed me in a position of inheritance, joy and peace. He gave me permission to rest and trust. I was given courage to acknowledge my shortcomings and pick up his strength when weak. God desires that I not be overwhelmed by this world but rather enveloped by his affection for me.

I sit today and meditate, soak in his truth of who I am and how he feels about me. He says be joyful, be silly, allow yourself to give way to good. Play, work and do all things unto him. Allow his spirit to rest in moments of chaos and give perspective to the silliness around me. To trust in his good work in me and through me.

What do you react to that you wish you could change?

Is there a lie you are believing?

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you first believed that lie and confess your belief in it. Then ask Him for the truth. 

Determine in your heart not to settle for the comfort of your truth, but instead embrace his FULL truth where peace resides.

Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! ~Psalm 43:3

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Seeking a Heart Like Nehemiah

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O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands. (Nehemiah 1:5)

In the next several weeks, I’m going to take some time to share my thoughts on the book of Nehemiah with you. Let’s take it chapter by chapter and glean from God’s Word. There is so much to learn from the steadfast spirit that Nehemiah possessed and his strength of character. I would love the opportunity to walk through this book with you and discover what the Lord has waiting for us. This week, please try to find time to read Nehemiah 1. If you know anyone who could benefit from this study, please feel free to share this with them.

I have been studying Nehemiah for a few weeks now. Often when I’m reading God’s Word, there will be times I just camp out in a certain passage. Right now, that passage is Nehemiah. I’m wanting to glean as much as I can from this man who had an unwavering spirit. He was so steadfast. His character was put to the test and he passed. He kept his eyes on the Lord.

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What to do When Life Hurts

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Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.] (John 14:27, AMP)

This morning I was meditating on a verse, reflecting on God’s faithfulness. The following verse has brought me comfort in a very difficult time right now.

O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will praise and give thanks to Your name; For You have done miraculous things,
Plans formed long, long ago, [fulfilled] with perfect faithfulness. (Isaiah 25:1, AMP)

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